Question 141·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In coral reef ecosystems, parrotfish graze on algae that compete with corals for space.
- Parrotfish grind the algae-coated coral as they feed and later excrete the indigestible calcium carbonate as fine sand.
- Overfishing has sharply reduced parrotfish populations in many reef systems.
- Algal overgrowth that results from fewer parrotfish slows coral recovery after bleaching events.
- The sand produced by parrotfish is a major source of sediment for nearby tropical beaches.
The student wants to explain how parrotfish benefit both coral reefs and coastal beaches. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions with notes, first underline the exact task in the question (here: explain how something benefits two things). Then quickly mark which notes are directly about that task—usually 2–3 key bullets—and ignore side details like causes, statistics, or consequences unless the question asks for them. Next, scan the choices and immediately cross out any that: (1) cover only part of the task (only reefs or only beaches), (2) focus on problems instead of the requested relationship, or (3) add details from the notes that don’t help answer the specific question. Finally, choose the option that integrates all required parts of the prompt in one clear, direct sentence using only relevant information from the notes.
Hints
Restate the goal in your own words
The sentence you choose must explain how parrotfish are helpful, and it must mention both coral reefs and coastal beaches, not just one or general information about parrotfish.
Locate the notes about benefits
Look back at the bullet points: which ones explain what parrotfish do for reefs and what they do for beaches, rather than talking about population decline or problems?
Match notes to answer choices
Find the option that uses the idea of parrotfish eating algae on reefs and the idea that they produce sand that ends up on beaches, and that directly links these actions to benefits.
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify the task in the question
The question asks: “explain how parrotfish benefit both coral reefs and coastal beaches.”
So the correct sentence must:
- Describe a benefit to coral reefs, and
- Describe a benefit to coastal beaches, and
- Do this using information from the notes (not adding unrelated ideas).
Identify the relevant notes
Scan the notes for information that shows benefits:
- Note 1: Parrotfish graze on algae that compete with corals. This helps coral reefs by keeping algae under control.
- Note 2: Parrotfish grind coral and excrete calcium carbonate as fine sand.
- Note 5: This sand is a major source of sediment for nearby tropical beaches.
Notes 3 and 4 (about overfishing and algal overgrowth) are about problems when parrotfish are reduced, not directly about how they benefit reefs and beaches, so they are less central for this task.
Check each answer against the task
Now test each option:
- Does it state how parrotfish help reefs (by controlling algae, protecting coral)?
- Does it state how they help beaches (by creating sand that feeds or supports beaches)?
- Does it stay focused on that benefit, without shifting to problems or background details?
Eliminate any choice that only talks about one of the two (reef or beach), or that mainly discusses decline/overfishing instead of the benefits themselves.
Choose the option that combines both benefits clearly
Option D is the only choice that:
- Shows the reef benefit: “grazing on reef-smothering algae” (protects corals).
- Shows the beach benefit: “turning the scraped coral into the fine sand that nourishes tropical shores.”
- Clearly states that these two actions simultaneously help both reefs and beaches (“safeguard reefs and sustain beaches”).
So the correct answer is: “By grazing on reef-smothering algae and turning the scraped coral into the fine sand that nourishes tropical shores, parrotfish simultaneously safeguard reefs and sustain beaches.”